Judge could rule on plea deal release of confessed killer

Ohio News

Aug 9, 2018

FILE - In this March 8, 2018, file photo, convicted killer Nathaniel Cook leaves Lucas County Common Pleas Court in Toledo, Ohio. Cook, who confessed to a string of rapes and murders with his brother, is set to find out whether a judge will release him from prison. Cook's attorneys say a plea deal signed nearly two decades ago requires him to be freed after he’s finished serving 20 years. (Dave Zapotosky/The Blade via AP, File)

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — A man who confessed to a string of rapes and murders with his brother in Ohio could soon find out whether a judge will release him from prison.
Attorneys for 59-year-old Nathaniel Cook say a plea deal signed nearly two decades ago requires him to be freed after he’s finished serving 20 years.
A judge in Toledo has scheduled a hearing for Thursday where she’s expected to make a decision on the release.
An agreement with prosecutors forced Cook to admit he killed three people in the 1980s while his brother confessed to killing five others.
Families of the victims say Cook’s confessions gave them needed answers, but they now want the judge to keep him in prison.
Some say they’re scared and upset that Cook could be released.